It was a thick, roughly polished piece of wood shaped somewhat like a hairpin, except it was thicker than a normal hairpin.
Jing Da was wondering how anyone could possibly use this thing to pin up their hair when Jing Yin had already taken it and begun polishing it herself.
【Ding! Roughly polished Huanghuali wood detected. Hurry and turn it into a beautiful piece of jewelry! Host, would you like to accept the handicraft mission?】
(Yes, accept.)
Jing Yin’s hands never stopped moving.
Before long, a simple wooden hairpin had taken shape.
After polishing the hairpin until it was smooth, Jing Yin gathered up her messy hair and pinned it in place.
Not bad at all.
She had “personally” polished this hairpin herself!
【Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the handicraft mission. Rewards: 2 points, 1 pig leg, and 1 jar of fine salt.】
The moment Jing Yin heard the words “pig leg,” she swallowed involuntarily.
She hadn’t had a proper meal in so many days.
Crystal pork knuckle, braised pig trotters, stir-fried pork…
But she somehow felt that something wasn’t quite right.
(System, why do I feel like you give me whatever I happen to be lacking?)
When she lacked food, it gave her food.
When she lacked salt, it gave her salt.
【The system calculates suitable rewards based on the Host’s current circumstances~】
As it said this, the system seemed faintly pleased with itself.
It was probably expecting its host to praise it.
Instead, all it got was a simple “Oh.”
System: 【……】
Other than the word “Oh,” had every other word died out?
…
Just as Jing Yin finished tying up her hair, the other roughly polished wooden hairpin from Jing Da was handed over.
Jing Yin took it, but she didn’t hear the system announce another mission.
Apparently, some missions could only be completed once.
The rewards from the system had already been stored in her space.
The jar of salt wasn’t small.
It weighed roughly one pound.
Even during better times, that much salt would have been enough for the Old Jing family to eat for more than three months.
Moreover, this was fine salt.
The Old Jing family had always used coarse salt.
Even coarse salt cost more than twenty copper coins per pound.
Fine salt was something they simply couldn’t afford.
Jing Yin walked farther away and found an empty spot.
She took the pig leg out of her space.
It was a whole hind leg.
The white, tender pork had been completely cleaned of hair.
The pig leg was incredibly fresh, as though it had just been slaughtered, and it was still slightly warm.
It weighed more than twenty pounds.
Why was the system suddenly being so generous this time?
Jing Yin shrugged.
She didn’t particularly care.
As long as she got the benefits, that was all that mattered.
She cut roughly two pounds of meat from the pig leg and put the rest back into her space.
When Jing Yin returned, she was carrying a piece of meat and a jar of salt.
“Grandma, let’s stew some meat too.”
She placed the meat in front of Grandma Jing and handed her the salt.
Seeing her precious granddaughter go out and return with a piece of meat and a jar of salt, Grandma Jing was so delighted that she couldn’t stop smiling.
Food was so precious in these times.
And Little Silver really was blessed.
However, after opening the jar of salt, Grandma Jing couldn’t help being startled.
She examined it carefully before finally confirming it.
This was fine salt!
Under normal circumstances, fine salt was something only wealthy officials and nobles could afford.
It cost fifty or sixty copper coins per pound.
She never expected the first time she would eat fine salt would be on the road fleeing famine.
Thinking about this, Grandma Jing couldn’t help sighing.
Fortunately, they had Little Silver with them along the way.
Otherwise, who knew how many members of the Old Jing family would still be alive?
Little Silver was truly her precious granddaughter.
The happier Grandma Jing became, the harder she chopped the meat.
The piece of meat Jing Yin brought back was three parts fat and seven parts lean.
Unfortunately, Grandma Jing still thought it was too lean.
At present, the only seasoning they had was that jar of salt.
So Grandma Jing simply boiled the meat in water.
The pork provided by the system was top-quality meat in itself.
Even simply boiling it in water made it incredibly delicious.
But Jing Yin still felt that something was missing.
She preferred stronger flavors.
A little spice would have been nice too.
(System, I think I need some soy sauce and chili peppers…)
【Wait… Host, I’m just a system. I’m not a tortoise in a wishing well.】
The system was completely shocked.
Had it done something to give her the wrong impression?
Why had its host become so shameless?!
(But System, you just said that you would provide suitable rewards based on my circumstances. I think I really need some chili peppers right now.)
System: 【……】
It had never seen someone so shameless!
Hmph~
It was furious!
(งᵒ̌皿ᵒ̌)ง⁼³₌₃
…
(System?)
Jing Yin silently called out twice more.
The system didn’t make a sound.
She didn’t continue calling it and instead began seriously stuffing herself with food.
The rice and meat disappeared at an astonishing speed.
The whole family had to eat while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Fortunately, they were in a spot sheltered from the wind, so the smell didn’t travel very far.
Moreover, the fierce display their family had put on earlier made people wary of them.
No one dared approach.
Everyone ate until their mouths were slick with oil.
Unprecedented satisfaction filled their faces.
Grandma Jing had originally intended to save some for tomorrow.
But before she knew it, the rice was gone.
The meat was gone too.
She was so heartbroken that she slapped her thigh.
That had been two whole pounds of meat!
And they had finished it all in one meal!
Grandma Jing was heartbroken, but when she remembered how enthusiastically she herself had eaten the meat, she no longer had the face to complain.
After cleaning up the pots and bowls, Jing Yin ate another meat bun.
Then she placed a bowl of animal feed in front of Tangyuan before beginning her cultivation.
The men of the Jing family took turns standing guard through the night.
Jing Yin sat cross-legged and quietly cultivated.
She had barely slept these past few days.
Yet after cultivating for an entire night, she felt even better than she would have after a full night’s sleep.
The night quietly passed.
Just as Jing Yin opened her eyes, the system’s voice rang out at the perfect moment.
【Ding! The daily check-in function is now online. Host, would you like to check in today?】
(Check in.)
【Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have successfully checked in. You have been checking in continuously for two days. Rewards: 1 point, 2 pounds of flour, and 1 bird’s-eye chili.】
Hearing the final reward, Jing Yin couldn’t believe her ears.
One…?
Jing Yin suspiciously looked toward her space.
Sure enough, there were two pounds of flour inside.
And the bird’s-eye chili…
One!
It really was one.
It lay there all alone in her space.
The corner of Jing Yin’s mouth twitched.
Well, one was still a chili pepper.
She wasn’t greedy.
(Wishing-well tortoise, thanks.)
The system, which had been preparing to make a snarky remark: …
That was too much!
She had dug out the bamboo shoots and even left a hole in its heart~
☸
Jing Zhao had taken the second half of the night shift.
Before Jing Yin even opened her eyes, he had already begun cultivating nearby.
Naturally, Jing Yin didn’t let the opportunity pass either.
The two of them occasionally exchanged a few moves while practicing.
After they cultivated for a while, Jing Da and Zhao Xiao’e got up and went wandering around nearby, looking to see whether they could find anything to eat.
Erdan also climbed out of bed.
Jing Zhao began teaching the two of them how to write.
When Grandma Jing finally got up, Jing Yin handed her the two pounds of flour.
Grandma Jing didn’t hesitate.
After thinking for a few seconds, she decided to make flatbreads so they could eat them whenever they got hungry on the road.
While Grandma Jing was busy preparing the food, Jing Da suddenly came rushing back with Zhao Xiao’e.
Both of them looked shocked and frightened.
“The remaining members of the Li family are all dead.”